FULL STEAM AHEAD AT LISBURN,

Looking back at the early days of rail
travel in Lisburn

BY THE DIGGER

The Station Master's House situated off
North Circular Road, Lisburn as it is today.

IT is a blatant clue to any outsider
visiting an unfamiliar town or city that a thoroughfare
bearing the name `Railway Street' will signify that there
must be a railway contained within. Lisburn is no exception.

In 'Lisburn Miscellany' penned by Fred
Kee and published in 1976 he mentions that Jackson's Lane is
changed on the 1844 map to Railway Street. This was during
the period the Ulster Railway was opening. The line to
Portadown opened in 1842.

The expansion of the railway system
opened up all sorts of possibilities and provided employment
to many people in the Lisburn district.

There were new opportunities for
travellers and businessmen but with the emergence of the
railway there were now clearly new dangers within the
neighbourhood.

The Belfast Newsletter reported a tragedy
that occurred on the morning of Tuesday May 16, 1848. A
little girl was killed by a train at Trummery, near Moira,
whilst crossing the line. At the inquest held before the
coroner, Mr Jackson, the jury returned a verdict of
manslaughter against the engine driver who was committed to
stand trial.

In the early 1840's trains left Belfast
for Lisburn during summer at 7am and on each alternate hour
to 7pm. In winter trains left Belfast every alternate hour
from 8am to 6 pm.

In 1852 the daily trains between Belfast
and Lisburn were supplemented with an extra train specially
laid on for Market days, leaving Belfast at 8.45am and
returning at 12 noon.

To keep track of the ever increasing
number of trains running to and from Lisburn. The Lisburn
Standard Office at Castle Street, in 1899 sold Baird's
Railway guides. This monthly publication had been
established in 1852 and included timetables and fares of the
Irish Railway companies, advertisements of the railings of
Cross Channel steamers and timetables of the Belfast and
Ulster tramways.

By the early 1900s, 34 trains were
leaving Lisburn and travelling to Belfast each week-day,
with nine on Sunday. The train was proving to be a popular
form of transport.

At this time railwaymen and their
families were to be found scattered throughout the district,
normally residing close to their place of employment. They
could find themselves sent to any part of the country in
those days. Platelayers, porters, signalmen, inspectors,
labourers, watchmen, agents, clerks, ticket collectors,
points men, gangers and shunters were all living and working
in the district. If you walked down Bachelor's Walk in 1901
on your way to the station you would have passed the homes
of three railwaymen. Arthur Donaghy, a railway porter, had
four boarders lodging with him - John Agnew a clerk, Charles
Haddock a clerk from Dublin, Thomas Hanna a ticket collector
from Dublin and Peter McQuaid a ticket collector from
Monaghan. Just down the street James Kincaid, a railway
employee from County Donegal, was staying with another
railway employee William Gribben.

Head Porter Thomas Breasley from Dublin
also lived in Bachelors Walk with his wife, young son and
boarder Peter Rafferty from County Tyrone, also a porter.

It was not unusual to have more than one
member of the family working for the railway. Scottish born
signalman James Barbour resided at Longstone. His son John
was a platelayer. Nine other railwaymen and their families-
Taggart, Bingham, Keery, Hodgens, Dawson, Kidd, Allenby,
Heasley and Connolly also resided at Longstone. Six of these
railwaymen were supporting a family which consisted of 4 or
more children.

Other railway employees were to be found
in Knockmore - Swain, McGurnaghan, Thompson, Patterson,
Bready, Mathers, Reid and McGann.

Lurganure was home to the Nelson, Hodgins,
Megarry, Johnston, Davis, Hodgen, Price and Mulholland
railway employees.

Railway men were also to be found at
Magheragall, Moyrusk, Magheramesk, Trummery, Derriaghy,
Kilmakee and Lambeg.

It is interesting to note that adverts in
the Lisburn press at that time sometimes included free
railway travel or tickets with local house sales or rentals
in close vicinity of the station.

Take a look at the Lisburn Herald,
November 10 1906 - 'for rent "Nirvana", Antrim Road, Lisburn
includes three reception rooms, five bedrooms, bathroom.....
And free Railway ticket' The Lisburn Standard of July 9
1920 advertised a four bedroom house for sale at Magheraleave Road which was described as 'one of the most
desirable residential districts of Lisburn'. The seller
offered "seven years free railway ticket between Belfast and
Lisburn."

Who knows, maybe history will repeat
itself soon, and an old idea revamped for the sake of the
environment.

The Digger can be contacted at
diggerarticle@hotmail.com. Thanks to the Director of the
National Archives of Ireland and the Deputy Keeper of the
Records, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland for
permission to use extracts from 1901 census. (PRONI MIC
354/1/135 refers).